A Promise Kept
by Jeune Ecrivain
Summary: Five years after “A Prom Story,” Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn’t mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.
1. May I Have This Dance?

**A Promise Kept**

**By Jeune Ecrivain.**

**Rated PG**

**Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)**

**Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.**

**Part I**

"What are you doing out here?"

MadelineFitzpatrick looked up at the young man who had spoken these words. Standing over her as she sat in an armchair on a rather spacious balcony of the Tipton Hotel was Zack Martin. He had his hands shoved casually into the pocket of his black tuxedo pants, somehow without appearing so casual as to detract from the elegance of his formal attire. His blonde sugar-bowl hairstyle that he had worn for as long as she had known him allowed him to retain a certain boyishness despite the fact that he was now practically a man.

"I decided to sit out the dancing part of the night," she said, glancing through the glass center of the otherwise wooden doors that lead back into a large ballroom. "I don't really have anyone to dance with and it's not really my prom. I got bored."

Zack gave her a lopsided grin and claimed the armchair beside her own as his for the time being. "I guess even the eccentricities of London and Dublin can only keep you entertained for so long."

Maddie chuckled, thinking of the two now-grown kids of rival hotel tycoons. It was sort of a posh version of Romeo and Juliet. Dublin was the son of Ferdinand Stetson, the owner of the Tipton's main competitor. The young Stetson heir was spoiled, wealthy, and unabashedly shallow, which of course made him a perfect match for Tipton heiress London. "It's a match made in heaven, isn't it?" she quipped.

Zack nodded. "Even their names seem to go well together," he quipped back. "Honestly, next thing we know, the tabloids will be reporting that Paris Hilton is going out with some guy named Madrid or Lisbon or something like that."

Maddie giggled.

"Seriously," Zack said, though the small smile on his lips said otherwise, "these spoiled heirs and heiresses are all the same. Most people browse through a baby name book or their family tree when they're naming their kids. Hotel tycoons just look at a political map of Europe."

Maddie giggled harder.

"Heck, maybe they even put the Europe map on the wall, blindfold themselves, and do some kind of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey thing with it," Zack speculated. He then closed his eyes and held out his right index finger, waving it all around in front of him. "My daughter's name will be…" he mocked.

Maddie laughed out loud. "You didn't come out here just to make fun of hotel tycoons, did you?" she managed in between chuckles.

"Actually, no," he admitted. He rose to his feet and turned to face her. "I came to collect on an old debt."

Maddie arched her eyebrow. "What old debt?" she challenged him.

Zack smiled at her slyly. "I seem to remember a certain pretty, brownish-blonde girl promising me that she would dance with me at my prom if I danced with her at hers."

Maddie looked at him and smirked, though she allowed a little warmth to show through in her expression.

Zack held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked, almost exactly as he had five years before.

In response, she placed her hand gracefully in his. He then pulled her gently to her feet, letting her strapless red dress fall into place as it adjusted to her change in pose. As if on cue, a new slow-dance song drifted out from within the ballroom. Interlocking her right hand with his, she let her other hand rest lightly upon his shoulder while he placed his own free hand on the small of her back. She looked him in the eye as they both began swaying to the music. "So you do remember that night," she remarked.

"Maddie, I was 12, not 2," he reminded her.

Maddie giggled once more.

"Besides," said Zack, "I never got to thank you. After our little talk, I knew despite my hopes that that dance was just between friends. But it still meant a lot to me that you cared enough to let me down easy."

"Zack, I told you," she insisted. "You were special to me. You still are."

"Same here," Zack nodded with a lopsided grin.

There was a certain unspoken truth to Maddie's statement. As Zack grew older, he and Maddie had become close friends. When Maddie had left for college, she had known then that she'd miss Zack the most. When she returned every summer to resume her job at the Tipton, Zack was the first person she wanted to see. He had become one of the people she just had to call if something really exciting happened. He had also become someone whom she could count on for words of encouragement when something went wrong.

As the song progressed, Maddie soon found herself resting her head on Zack's shoulder. She idly asked herself when she had become so unabashedly comfortable in his proximity. It then occurred to her that this sense of comfort and even subtle pleasure was often the kind of thing a girl might feel towards a longtime boyfriend. The idea startled her somewhat, as it put her on a train of thought she wasn't sure she wanted to be on. Once her mind had placed Zack in any semblance of a romantic context, she couldn't stop herself from imagining what it would be like to actually have Zack as something more than a friend. She found, much to her surprise, that the concept was deeply pleasing to her. Zack was smart, funny, kind, and he had indeed become rather attractive.

That last thought jolted her head off of his shoulder, and she found herself looking him in the eye again. He seemed mildly surprised by her movement, but he only smirked warmly at her as they continued to dance. He looked…dare she think it?…cute. Maddie was inwardly shocked by her own rapidly emerging feelings, feelings that she thought she'd never have for a guy three years her junior. It was as if fate had decided it was HER turn to have a crush on HIM.

As puzzlement began to show on Zack's face, she realized he was becoming suspicious. She was growing quite irritated at him for having grown into such a romantically appealing guy. Her brain told her it wasn't his fault, but her emotions would hear none of it. Wanting to somehow voice this irritation without giving herself away, she randomly thought of that time at her freshman prom when they'd danced together and suddenly remembered that the height difference between them had completely shifted. "When did you get to be taller than me?" she blurted.


	2. Kissed by the Former Babysitter

**A Promise Kept**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rated PG**

**Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)**

**Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.**

**Part II**

Amused and somewhat taken aback, Zack replied, "Maddie, I've been at least as tall if not taller than you for two or three years," he observed.

She grew slightly calmer. She was now looking at him thoughtfully, as if noticing how much he had changed since the night of her prom for the first time. "And your voice," she continued, ignoring his comment. "When did you stop sounding like a squeaky little boy?"

"It's called puberty, Maddie," he said, still amused and slightly puzzled at her behavior. "You've been around all the time up until just a year or two ago. You can't tell me you're just noticing all this stuff now."

"No, of course not," she replied. "It's just…I don't know. I guess talking about my prom is making me remember how short and squeaky-voiced you were compared to what you're like now."

Zack nodded, seeming to understand. "Fair enough."

She smiled at him before placing her head back on his shoulder, secretly indulging herself. She shuddered slightly as she felt his cheek brush against her hair.

"You haven't changed much, you know," he said softly as the song and their dancing began to slow to an end.

Maddie once again looked up at him and let her eyes meet Zack's. Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. She didn't have a chance to pull away more than a millimeter before Zack brought his lips to hers once more. Their dancing stance abandoned, Zack's arms encircled her waist while her hands grazed his cheeks. Maddie broke the kiss for a split second only to part her lips and initiate a deeper kiss. Zack willingly followed her example, kissing her back with passion to rival her own.

Then, Maddie's judgement returned, and she pulled away abruptly. She looked anxiously at Zack, whose face displayed a mixture of surprise and contentedness. She was feeling the same emotions, but there was also an element of shock at her own actions.

"Maddie…" he uttered. "What just happened there?"

She stammered. "I don't know. I…think I just kissed you."

He looked at her sheepishly, a hint of a smile on his lips. "It wasn't all you."

Maddie nodded. "I know," she said. "But I started it."

Zack become very interested in his polished shoes for a moment before he spoke up. "No," he said. "I started this. I started this five years ago."

"Zack, I thought you outgrew your crush on me."

"So did I," he admitted. "But just now, I realized…maybe I didn't grow out of it. Maybe it kinda…matured along with me."

"Zack, I don't know," she said. "You're 17. I'm 20." Her eyes widened. "I used to babysit you!" she marveled. "I just kissed a guy I used to babysit!"


	3. A Proper Date

**A Promise Kept**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rated PG**

**Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)**

**Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.**

**Part III**

"Ironic, no?" Zack said, cracking a weak smile in an attempt to ease the awkwardness of the situation as well as his own nervousness.

"You have no idea," Maddie replied. "I mean, I never thought I'd feel this way about you!"

"Gee, thanks," he said with a deflated sarcasm.

"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it," she told him. "I guess I just…got so used to the way things were."

A moment of awkward silence during which they both fumbled for words. "Look, Maddie,…I really like you," Zack finally said. "And I don't mean like I did when I was 12. There's more to it than that now."

"I know," she said, simultaneously wondering exactly how she knew. Maybe it was just a vibe or something, but she could somehow feel in her heart that what Zack was exhibiting just wasn't the same naïve yet admirable case of puppy love he had had years before. Although Zack's feelings for her had been genuine in some way even at the tender age of 12, they had indeed matured along with him. "I really like you, too," she said softly. She then chuckled weakly. "That felt weird to say."

Zack responded with a weak chuckle of his own. "So…what now?"

Maddie exhaled thoughtfully. "I'm not sure," she answered.. "All age issues aside, our friendship means a lot to me. I don't want to ruin that if whatever there might be between us doesn't work out."

"You do realize how cliché that is, don't you?"

"Zack…"

He hung his head. "Sorry. Sometimes I joke when I'm nervous." He looked up at her, and she couldn't help but meet his gaze. "Listen,…I really think…our friendship is strong enough to handle whatever may happen," he said earnestly. "Besides, you never know," he added with a smile as he approached her and took her hands in his. They say some of the best loves started out as friendships."

"Now who's being cliché?" she teased.

He smirked at her. "Let me at least take you out on one proper date," he said.

"On one condition."

"What's that?"

Maddie grew serious for a moment. "Let's not tell anyone about this yet. The age thing might be a little weird."

Zack nodded in agreement. "So…how about if we keep things casual? Let's say…the skating rink, tomorrow. Pick you up right after your afternoon shift at the candy shop?"

Maddie gave him a small smile, still somewhat in awe of the fact that Zack Martin was asking her out and she was taking it seriously. "You got it."


	4. Get a Room

**A Promise Kept**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rated PG**

**Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)**

**Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.**

**Part IV**

"Zack, can I ask you something?"

Zack turned to face Maddie as the two glided alongside each other in rented ice skates atop the polished rink floor. "Sure."

Maddie pursed her lips. "When you were 12, what made you decide to have an active crush on a 15-year-old? I mean, most 12-year-olds who found older girls attractive would've admired them from afar for a while, realized they didn't have a chance because of the age difference, and moved on. What made you stick with me for so long when I wasn't exactly open to the idea of dating a tween?"

Zack paused for a moment in contemplation. He had never really thought about it until then. "Well," he began, "I think it's because there was something there that was more than just your good looks and the macho prestige of dating an older girl." He smirked playfully at her before turning serious again. "You weren't quite like any other girl I knew. Your personality kind of fascinated me. Plus, for most teenagers with younger admirers, whoever it is that likes them is just an annoyance. They don't really care about them. I didn't get that vibe from you. You made it quite clear that you didn't want to date me, but you still treated me like a friend at least. That meant a lot to me." He finished with a lopsided grin. "To top it all of, you were just so darn beautiful!"

Maddie chuckled and blushed simultaneously. "C'mon, Zack. Maybe I'm pretty, but 'beautiful' is probably an overstatement. Let's not forget that model Trevor dumped me for. Now she was beautiful."

"Let's not forget either that Trevor had to repeat eleventh grade," Zack retorted with a witty smile. "What does that tell you?" He took her hand and applied a gentle pull, causing her to slide smoothly towards him until their forward motion was turned into a graceful rotation on the ice as they faced each other. "What about you?" he said with a challenging grin. "What changed your mind about me enough to kiss me at prom?"

"Well…" Maddie smiled at him in mock coyness and pressed her hands against his chest, propelling herself away from him. Her eyes daring him to follow her as she drifted lithely away on the smooth ice, she gave herself thrust on the ice by clicking one skate-clad foot against it. "You're taller,…" she stated as she glided in an arc around him with one leg extended behind her. "…cuter,…" She thrust herself into another arc, effectively completing a circle around Zack. "…and smarter." She weaved her way in a curved zig-zag back towards him and met him at the center of the circle she had made with her hands on her hips. "And that's just the Cliff Notes version," she quipped before turning sincere and looking him in the eye. "Seriously, Zack, you've always been special to me. I think I just got used to thinking of you as the nice little boy with an amusing-slash-annoying little crush on me." She stepped closer to him. "Then we got closer as friends over the last few years, and of course I knew all along you were getting older and stuff, but my mind never really made the connection that you weren't such a little boy anymore…until now."

Zack grinned. "That's right…because a little boy can't do this!"

Maddie yelped as Zack gripped her firmly around her lower back with one arm, brought his other arm behind her knees, and lifted her smoothly off her feet in one swift motion. Touching the toe of one skate to the ice, he applied a strong torque and began spinning smoothly on the smooth surface.

"Zachary Daniel Martin, put me down!" she said, failing miserably to convey sternness as she giggled helplessly. "I'm getting dizzy!"

"So am I," Zack replied, obviously getting a rush from it all. "That's why this is so fun!"

Maddie laughed harder, and they spun together for a few more minutes until Zack finally slowed to a stop. The two giggled as Zack set Maddie back on her feet, but Maddie yelped once more as she failed to gain her footing and landed flat on her butt on the ice. Zack cracked up laughing while Maddie sat there indignantly, propped up by her arms. "Not funny, Zachary," she said with a glare, extending one arm out towards him as if commanding him to help her up.

Chuckling, Zack obliged and took her hand, but he soon found the tables turned on him as Maddie promptly yanked him onto the floor with her. "Hey, no fair!" he protested. He raised himself up to look down at her, catching her gaze with his own. A soft giggle escaped Maddie's lips, the last vestige of their playful mood as it surrendered to a different sensation. Zack leaned in slowly and teased her lips with his own, and she wasted little time in kissing him back. The kiss was relatively mild at first, but the passion was quickly rising. Unfortunately, they were brought back to reality quite rudely by an annoyed voice yelling, "Get a room!"

Maddie blushed as she realized that she and Zack had completely forgotten that the rink was in fact dotted with several other skaters. Zack chuckled and looked at her, and she smiled warmly at him. In that moment, they were both thinking the same thing: _I could get used to this!_


	5. Leave 'Im Hanging

**A Promise Kept**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rated PG**

**Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)**

**Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.**

**Part V**

"Well, here we are," said Zack as he parked his PT Cruiser in the private parking lot of the Tipton, somewhat disappointed that the evening was coming to a close.

"Yeah," Maddie replied with a small smile on her face.

Zack turned off the engine and looked over at her with a slightly nervous smile, and she turned to meet his gaze. "Well, I had a good time," he said. "What about you?" He looked her in the eyes, anxious for her answer.

She nodded. "It was fun. It really was." A moment of silence passed between them as they each tried to wrap their heads around the fact that they'd just went on an actual date together. Then suddenly, Maddie started chuckling to herself.

"What!" asked Zack, amused at Maddie's outburst.

Maddie shook her head in awe. "It's just so funny!" she giggled. "'Call me in 10 years' I said! It's been about half that, and here I am! I've kissed you twice now and enjoyed every bit of it!" At this Zack grinned lopsidedly and blushed slightly, which only amused Maddie further. "I kissed a guy I used to baby-sit!" Her voice then began to grow softer and more serious. "I don't know, Zack. Maybe I'm crazy. I mean, you're three years younger than me. But somehow…" She raised her hand and touched his cheek. "…those three years just don't mean as much anymore. It's like…you make it not matter by just being…you."

Zack smiled brightly as she withdrew her hand gracefully. "So,…I guess this means you'd like to do it again sometime," he said.

Maddie returned his smile with a gentle one of her own and unbuckled her seat belt so she could lean towards him. "I'd love that, Zack. I really would," she replied almost at a whisper. To seal the deal, she kissed him softly on the lips. He responded immediately, and she parted her lips to deepen the kiss. She let the passion build to a certain point before withdrawing. Suddenly feeling quite playful, Maddie decided to try the leave-'im-hanging tactic. "Good night," she said as she opened the car door and climbed out. "See you tomorrow."

Zack watched in a daze as the beauty named Madeline walked away, throwing one last smile over her shoulder at him before entering the hotel to find her suite. Strangely enough, words he had read in his English class rang in his ears, perhaps for no other reason than sheer pertinence to his situation. They were the words of Romeo Montague. _I am afear'd being in night, all this is but a dream. Too flattering sweet to be substantial._

----------ZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZM----------

In case you have particular trouble with Shakespearean English, here's what the quote basically says: "Since it's at night, I'm afraid this is all just a dream. It's just too good to be true."

----------SLZCSLZCSLZCSLZCSLZC----------

"Whoah!"

Zack landed with a thud on the floor of his bedroom, having toppled without any warning off the edge of his bed. Still a little groggy despite the rude awakening, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at a face identical to his own. He then glared at his twin brother, Cody. "Cody, what color are your eyes?"

Cody cocked an eyebrow, obviously perplexed. "Blue. Just like yours," he answered in a confused tone.

"If you ever do that again, I'll make them both black. Maybe then, it'll be easier for people to tell us apart."

Cody put his hands up. "Mom made me do it. It's ten o'clock, and she said if you slept in much later, you wouldn't go to bed at a decent time tonight."

Zack tossed off the blanket and stood up with a tired groan. "Don't you think we're a little old for bedtime regulation?"

"That's what I said. She said that until we hit eighteen, we're not too old for anything as far as she's concerned. And even then, we apparently owe her eleven instances of post-legal-age obedience. One for every hour she was in labor with us," explained Cody with a roll of his eyes. "Why were you sleeping in so late, anyway? Usually you're up just a few minutes after me."

Zack shrugged, not wanting to confess to having lain awake for an hour or two that night reliving the date in his mind. He remembered the gentle yet flirtatious smiles, the warm yet playful look in her eyes, the taste of her lips, and the touch of her hand. He was still a little hesitant to believe it all, lest he get his hopes up to high, but something in his gut told him it was real.

Smiling contentedly, he silently wondered how all his feelings for Maddie could've come rushing back after years of having supposedly moved on. Ironically, it seemed that during that dormant period his feelings for her had deepened. The persistent crush he had harbored for her years before had crept away to the back of his mind and heart until, secretly nourished by their growing friendship, it had re-emerged as a new, improved, and more meaningful creature.

Yet he had to conceal his joy. There was still an age difference to consider, and neither he nor Maddie were ready to tell anyone what had transpired between them. After all, they themselves had yet to see just where it would go. Despite the uncertainty, however, Zack couldn't help but feel optimistic, and somehow he knew that Maddie felt the same way.

Lost in his thoughts, Zack almost forgot to respond to his brother's question. Cody's quizzical look snapped him out of his reverie. He shrugged. "I'm probably just catching up on all the sleep I miss on school nights. I swear school starts way too early! It should be illegal!"

"No argument there," Cody agreed. "Anyway, Mom had an early performance today, and she's booked until late tonight. She just left. So, how about we follow standard procedure? You know, eat a half a box of cereal each and spend most of the day watching TV and playing video games. Then, maybe later we can raid the dinner buffet table."

Although Cody's plans sounded appealing, Zack was hoping to spend some time with Maddie and perhaps take her to a movie or something that evening. True, he had just gone out with her the previous night, but unless Maddie said otherwise, Zack didn't have the slightest problem with a taking her out again the very next day. Fumbling for an excuse to give Cody, he blurted, "Moseby says the buffet's only for customers."

His brother furrowed his brow, somewhat baffled. "Since when do you listen to Moseby?"

Zack opened his mouth to retort, but an idea suddenly struck him. "You're right," he said. "He can't stop natural-born buffet raiders!" he added with a smirk.

"Exactly," replied Cody. Satisfied with the day's plans, Cody turned to exit the bedroom. "Breakfast time!" he said eagerly as he disappeared on his way to the kitchen.

Zack smiled to himself and grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand next to his bed. He dialed the number of a mutual friend with whom Cody happened to be hopelessly in love. After a few more rings, a female voice answered, "Hello?"

"Max," Zack greeted, "it's me. Listen,…Cody's been studying a lot lately for this Mathlete thing, and I think he needs a break. He hasn't been out of the hotel in a long time, and I don't think that's good for him. How do you feel about taking him out on the town today?"


	6. Payback's a Brat

**A Promise Kept**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rated PG**

**Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)**

**Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.**

**A/N: A few parts of this chapter were inspired by some scenes from _Friends_. One is based on a scene from one of the episodes where Monica and Chandler were trying to keep their new relationship a secret, and the other is from an earlier episode where Monica and Richard told her parents that they were dating. Any die-hard _Friends_ fan will probably get an extra chuckle out of this.**

**Part VI**

Two weeks passed, and Zack and Maddie continued to date right under the noses of everyone at the Tipton. Although they had discussed going public a few times, they had agreed to wait a little longer before telling anyone that they were dating. Maddie still wasn't ready to face the uncertainty of what everyone's reactions would be, particularly Zack's mother. Zack understood and admitted to being a little apprehensive himself about his mother's response. Still, neither could deny that they had fun sneaking around, as Zack would sometimes cast a furtive glance at Maddie, who very discretely returned the glance with an impish smirk of her own.

The day after a particularly pleasant evening out with Zack, Maddie found herself at her usual post at the candy counter listening to her friend London talk about her latest outing with Dublin.

"Oh, Madeline!" exclaimed the Tipton. "I almost forgot! Dublin introduced me to his tutor today. I must say, as far as smart people go, he was a real hottie!"

Maddie cocked an eyebrow. "Should you really be checking out another guy with Dublin standing right there with you?"

"Please," scoffed London. "He's cute, but Dublin's rich. Plus, my Dubby doesn't confuse me with big words."

"Ten-dollar words are turn-off for you, huh?" Maddie smirked amusedly.

London's eyes widened. "You mean he actually earns part of his tutoring wages just by opening his mouth!"

"It's just an expression, London," replied Maddie, chuckling to herself.

"Oh," London answered blankly. "Anyway, I meant that he'd be a good match for you!"

"Huh?"

"I told him about you, and I think he wants to meet you. We're going out again tomorrow, so what do you say we make it a double date?"

Maddie suddenly felt cornered. Technically, she and Zack hadn't said anything about being exclusive, but given all that had transpired between the two, she had the feeling it was sort of implied. Plus, as long a Zack was still interested, she had no real desire to meet other guys. She bit her lip, trying to think of a good reason to give London without revealing her and Zack's secret. "I can't. I…uh…just got out of a long-term relationship and I need some closure before I date again."

London looked confused. "But when you first got her for the summer, you were complaining about how you haven't found any great guys yet."  
Maddie bit her lip agan. "Well,…uh…about that…"

Seeing the look on Maddie's face, London's eyes widened once more. Her feminine intuition had kicked in. "You're already seeing someone, aren't you?" she squealed.

"No, I'm not," Maddie responded, simultaneously realizing from the look London was giving her that all protest would be futile.

"Madeline, I think it's time you faced the facts," London said, placing a compassionate hand on her shoulder. "You are a terrible liar."

Maddie sighed. "Fine. I am seeing someone, but don't tell anyone, ok?"

"Fine..." London agreed with a grin. "…as long as you give me details!"

As Maddie let out a soft groan, Zack's mother Carey walked up, her curiosity piqued by having overheard London's excitement. "Details about what?" asked the woman who Maddie considered almost a second mother.

"Not what. Who," London corrected her. "Maddie's got a new beau!"

Maddie groaned inwardly as Carey rounded on her. "Oh, do tell!" she said. "What's his name?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out…eventually," Maddie replied.

"What! That is so not fair!"

"Yeah!" Carey concurred. "Why the secrecy, Maddie?"

"We…just want to see where this goes before we announce ourselves," Maddie said cautiously.

"Oh, that is such a load of buckshot!" said London.

"Well, I see the swear-word alternatives I taught my boys are really catching on," Carey observed. "Anyway, London's right, Maddie. You tell us you have a new boyfriend and you expect us to just leave it at that! You know very well that's against the Female Code!"

Maddie sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll throw you a bone because you're my two best friends away from school." She cleared her throat and smiled, unable to resist being somewhat happy to share at least some of what she had experienced over the past couple of weeks This guy, who shall remain nameless, is the best kisser I've ever had."

"Ooh, that was so the wrong bone to throw!" London exclaimed. "'Cause now we just have to know more!"

"Sorry, that's all you're getting out of me for now," Maddie replied matter-of-factly.

"Major Female Code violation!" declared London.

"What 'Female Code'?" asked a male voice.

Maddie looked up to find none other than Zack standing a few feet above her on the raised hotel entrance from which visitors stepped down into the lobby.

London pointed a vindictive finger at Maddie. "Maddie just told us she's got a new boyfriend and she won't tell us who it is!"

At this, Zack's eyebrows arched for a split second as he threw a discrete glance at Maddie. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," answered Carey. "All she'll tell us is that he's the best kisser she's ever had."

Maddie fought the urge to groan loudly. Zack really wasn't s'posed to hear that.

"Oh, really?" Zack drawled, a cocky grin spreading across his face. "Would you care to embellish a little, Madeline?" he teased.

Maddie shot him a glare, but he just smirked back at her. "No," she said coolly. "I'll tell you all when I'm good and ready."

"Have you told him yet?" asked Zack, making little attempt to hide the fact that he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"As a matter of fact, I haven't," Maddie replied in mock indignance.

"Well, I suppose it's your choice," Zack feigned concession. "But all I know is that if it was me and I found out that I was the best kisser a girl had ever had, I'd be going like this." With that, he jumped straight over the railing (much to Carey's chagrin), landed on the floor in front of the candy shop, and proceeded to execute a rather exaggerated victory dance in the Tipton lobby. Maddie put her hands on her hips and continued to glare at him.

Looking with a skeptical eye at her son's gyrations, Carey turned back to Maddie and cracked a joking smile at her. "Well, I haven't had a good kiss in so long, I don't care about age if he doesn't," she said. "Maybe if this guy's such a good kisser, you'd be willing to share him and he and I could…"

Zack's dance came to an abrupt halt. "Mom," he said quickly, a look of impending horror in his eyes, "if you love me at all, you will NOT finish that sentence!"

"What?" asked Carey innocently. "You may not like to think about it a lot, but I have desires too, you know."

"Mo-om! Please!" He momentarily looked to Maddie for help, but all she gave him was a distinct smirk that clearly said _'Payback's a brat, ain't it?'_


	7. Zack's No Cheater

**A Promise Kept**

**By Jeune Ecrivain**

**Rated T**

**Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)**

**Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.**

**A/N: Why do these chapters always look longer in Word than online? Anyway, with this chapter I think it's only right that I crank the rating up to a T. Things get kind of heated towards the end here. **

**Part VII**

"Maddie, I think something's up with Zack."

Maddie turned around to find Cody Martin sitting at the candy counter. She furrowed her brow. She hadn't noticed anything unusual about Zack lately. A little concerned, she asked, "Why?"

"Danielle Quaker came up to me yesterday," Cody replied, "and asked me if Zack had switched teams. At first I didn't know what she was talking about, but then she told me that she'd practically thrown herself at him the day before and he didn't take the bait."

Maddie's eyes widened. She had seen Danielle Quaker a couple times when she'd attended a dance at the Tipton, and until recently she'd also heard the Martin twins occasionally rave about how utterly gorgeous she was. Maddie had to admit that Danielle was definitely a looker. She had the body of a model and a face to match. "Danielle came on to Zack?" she repeated, trying her best not to let any possessiveness show in her voice.

"Yeah!" Cody said incredulously. "This is Danielle Quaker we're talking about here, and Zack turned her down! I don't get it! The hottest girl in school hit on him, and he didn't take the chance!" He shook his head. "You know what he did, according to Danielle? He told her he was already seeing someone special and he didn't want to ruin it!" Cody continued shaking his head, perplexed. "Zack hasn't mentioned anything about a new girlfriend to me, Mom, Tapeworm, Esteban, or anyone else!"

Maddie fought the urge to smile warmly to herself at Zack's act of fidelity, and instead she feigned confusion. "You're right, Cody. That is weird."

"I swear, if I hadn't known Zack my whole life, I'd be tempted to think he actually had switched teams, if you get my drift!"

_Oh, ho ho!_ Maddie chortled inwardly. _I can assure you he still plays for the same team he always has!_ "Oh, please," she scoffed amusedly. "This is Zack we're talking about. There's got to be some other explanation."

"I know," conceded Cody. "I'm just…really baffled. 'Cause if Danielle Quaker was hitting on me, I'd just take her and start making out with her before she changed her mind."

"Well, maybe Zack's maturing and he realizes how superficial she is," Maddie offered in hopes of throwing Cody off.

"Well, I know she's shallow. Heck, she's arrogant enough to conclude that if some guy doesn't bite on her hook that he's automatically gay. Still, if I ever had the chance to just have a raw make-out session with her, it'd be very hard to pass up. Zack had that chance, and he blew it! I just want to know why! Why would he invent a fictional girlfriend in order to blow off a real girl who was showing interest in him?"

All the while, Maddie maintained a façade of calmness, but inside she was beaming. Even though she and Zack hadn't explicitly said anything about making things between them official, Zack had turned down another girl for her. It said a lot about what she meant to him, and she suddenly just had to see him. Thinking quickly, she said, "Well, maybe I might be able to get something out of him. Where is he now?"

"In the suite," answered Cody. "I have half a mind to talk some sense into him myself, but I have to go help serve food at Mom's show."

"Perfect," Maddie said quietly. "When you get there, tell Mr. Moseby I'm taking my break now, ok?"

"Will do."

Maddie smiled to herself as she walked away and boarded the nearest elevator. Within minutes, she stepped out onto the twins' floor and found the familiar suite with no trouble. Fighting the urge to giggle aloud, she knocked on the door and waited anxiously for a response. When Zack opened the door, she couldn't help but beam at him.

"Maddie, what's up?" he said, looking a little surprised to see her.

"Zack,…I…I don't know what to say," she replied. "I almost wish a hot guy would flirt shamelessly with me so I could reciprocate!"

"Huh?" Zack responded, confused and a little irked at the idea.

"Cody told me about how you turned down Danielle," Maddie explained. "It was really sweet of you."

Zack's look of confusion disappeared, replaced by a knowing smirk. "Oh, that," he said, gesturing for her to come in. "C'mon, Maddie. I know I can be a flirt sometimes, but I'm no two-timer."

She stepped into the suite, and he closed the door behind him. "I know, Zack. You wouldn't do anything like that. It's just…we never made anything official between us, so technically you were perfectly at liberty to have some fun with her. The fact that you still didn't means a lot to me."

"Well, technicality aside, it still would've been pretty tacky for me to go out with her. I knew you'd still be hurt considering how well things seem to be going. Plus, that day I found you talking to Mom and London about us, they referred to me as your secret boyfriend."

"Those were their words, not mine," Maddie reminded him.

"Still, the fact is, I didn't want to take the chance of hurting you. I don't like it when you get hurt, and if I was the one who caused it, it just would've made it worse."

She smiled warmly at him. "Who knew you could be such a romantic?" she teased.

Zack shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin. "Just don't tell Cody," he quipped.

Maddie didn't respond. Instead, she looked at him coyly and walked up to him. Her expression slowly turned serious as she let her eyes meet his. She let her hands glide up his arms and over his shoulder before wrapping her own arms around his neck. She leaned in gingerly. Zack took the hint, seized her by the waist and met her halfway as they shared a soft yet sensual kiss. They gazed into each other's eyes. "Just for the record," said Zack quietly, "be my girlfriend?"

Maddie nodded eagerly and captured his lips with hers again. The kiss deepened before they broke apart, but their lips no sooner separated than interlocked again. As they continued to kiss each other, Zack guided her to the couch and lied down slowly on it, taking her with him gently until she was directly on top of him. Maddie moaned softly, and the two kept kissing one another hungrily. She massaged his upper lip with both of hers, and he did the same to her bottom lip.

As the two continued to lock lips, Maddie became aware of something stiffening underneath her. Although both were too busy to notice it, a rosy blush crept into her cheeks. _Yep_, she confirmed silently to herself. _Zack Martin is still as straight as they come._


End file.
